Glossary | SUNNY M Lab

Phenomena Atlas , Observable Roast & Cup Phenomena

Layer 1: Meta-Theory and Judgment

Code	Term	Role	Definition	Relationships	Status
REA	Roast Event Asynchrony	meta-theory	A condition in which the timing of conventional roast events does not align with the point at which the coffee actually achieves maturity in the cup. Events and maturity do not necessarily happen at the same time.	CDM PCM NCR CDM PCM NCR	Active Documentation
CDM	Cup-Driven Maturity	judgment-method	A roast condition in which maturity is confirmed through cup observation rather than reference to roast events such as first crack, DTR, or color endpoints. It is not decided by roasting. It is decided by the cup.	OP REA NCR PCM OP	Active Documentation
OP	Observation Progression	observation-path	The documented change in cup sensory state at different points after roast, used as a primary indicator of a batch's observable arc. The same coffee presents differently at different points in time.	AC FAC SF HCM AC FAC SF HCM CDM	Active Documentation

Layer 2: Cup Behavior and Cup Outcome

Code	Term	Role	Definition	Relationships	Status
AC	Alive Cup	successful-cup-behavior	A cup condition in which flavor states continue to shift meaningfully across the full temperature range, from the first hot sip to the final cool phase. From the first sip to the last, the flavors in the cup keep changing.	CDV TDR OP CDM FAC SF HCM CDV TDR	Active Documentation
FAC	False Alive Cup	false-positive-boundary	A cup condition in which apparent temperature-stage variation is present but does not constitute structurally distinct flavor states. The cup appears to shift; the shifts are intensity-dependent rather than structural. It looks like it's changing. It isn't.	AC CDV EGBS TAL TDR	Active Documentation
SF	Structural Flattening	flattened-cup-outcome	A roast outcome in which cup structure fails to differentiate across temperature stages or time, presenting a single undifferentiated flavor state regardless of observation conditions. The cup is present. Nothing is happening.	AC EGBS TDR CDV TAL	Active Documentation
HCM	Hot Cup Memory	hot-stage-imprint	A cup condition in which the most memorable flavor impression forms primarily during the hot phase, with the cup becoming quieter as it cools. It speaks while hot.	OP AC FAC	Active Documentation

Layer 3: Thermal Mechanism and Energy Control

Code	Term	Role	Definition	Relationships	Status
CDV	Caramelization Divergence	sweetness-differentiation-mechanism	A roasting phenomenon in which differences in energy distribution across caramelization-related reactions create distinct sensory emphases between the hot and cool stages of the cup. The hot cup speaks through one kind of sweetness. The cool cup preserves another.	FAC SF AC FAC SF	Active Documentation
TAL	Thermal Absorption Lag	delayed-energy-expression	The time delay between an operator input, such as an inlet temperature change or burner adjustment, and the point at which that input registers as a measurable change in the Bean Temperature curve. You adjusted. The bean hasn't responded yet.	PLO OP CDM PLO EGBS	Active Documentation
TDR	Terminal Decline Roast	terminal-energy-control	A roast profile condition in which heat application during the terminal phase follows a deliberate, sustained, controllable decline trajectory, producing observable structural softening in the cup. Heat exits. The cup opens.	SF EGBS AC CDV SF EGBS	Active Documentation
EGBS	Energy Gap BT Stall	energy-continuity-boundary	A roasting thermal phenomenon in which bean temperature enters a near-stalled state after a rapid rise or rapid decline, creating a short window of insufficient energy progression or discontinuity in energy transfer. The curve is still present, but energy briefly stops speaking.	FAC SF	Active Documentation

Layer 4: High-Risk Maturity Path

Code	Term	Role	Definition	Relationships	Status
NCR	No Crack Roast	high-risk-maturity-path	A roast system in which the maturity confirmation mechanism does not rely on first crack as an acoustic event or bean color as a visual endpoint. The coffee has completed its cup structure. What confirms it is not the sound of the crack.	REA CDM OP PCM REA CDM OP PCM	Active Documentation
PCM	Pre-Crack Maturity	pre-crack-maturity-condition	A roast condition in which cup maturity is established before first crack occurs, making the acoustic event no longer the starting point of development. The coffee has already been dropped. The crack comes afterward.	REA CDM OP NCR NCR REA CDM OP	Active Documentation

Layer 5: Traffic, Troubleshooting, and Research Notes

Code	Term	Role	Definition	Relationships	Status
PLO	Probe Lagging Overcorrection	operational-troubleshooting-entry	An operational failure mode in which multiple consecutive temperature corrections, made without waiting for the thermal absorption lag buffer to resolve, compound in the final roast stage and produce bean temperature overshoot. You adjusted. Then adjusted again. The coffee absorbed all of it at once.	TAL EGBS OP CDM	Active Documentation
Research Note	Negative RoR Has Two Kinds	semantic-defense-document	A falling or negative Rate of Rise is often treated as a roasting problem to be avoided. In our system, it is sometimes the intended outcome. The question is not whether RoR is negative. It is why. Semantic defense document. Routes back to core terms.	TDR TAL CDV OP CDM	Published Thu May 14 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Layer 6: Boundary and Failure Expressions

Code	Term	Role	Definition	Relationships	Status
CICC	Cliff-Induced Cold Collapse	boundary-expression	A cup-structure collapse caused by a sharp temperature drop during roasting, in which the cup may appear structurally intact while hot but breaks apart as it cools. It holds while hot. As it cools, the structure breaks.	FAC SF TDR EGBS	Active Documentation